Tomorrow Will Be Kinder
by ScabbedKneesandRippedJeans
Summary: This reaping marks the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games, making this year's games the Quarter Quell. Emily Fitch, a rebellious teen from District 12, can only wonder what this year's games will bring. Honestly, I'm crap at summaries. Basically it's Naomily in the world of the Hunger Games. Renamed.
1. Chapter 1

"Fucking shit, Ems. Slow down. Not all of us can maneuver through the forest like we're Artemis' lackey." I chuckle and stop my trek and wait for Katie to catch up. It's not often I bring my twin Katie hunting with me, as she makes more noise than a rampaging cow and scares off all the game, but today is an exception. Today is the day before the annual Hunger Games reaping; our last reaping. It's a sick sort of celebration, in a way, commending ourselves for not being among the 12 names that have been drawn for District 12 since we've became eligible as tributes. But there's not much to celebrate in our lives. Around here, you have to make your own happiness.

75 years ago the thirteen districts of Panem tried to lead a rebellion against the Capitol. The rebellion was squashed in a matter of weeks, completely obliterating District 13 in it's wake, and establishing the Hunger Games as a reminder to the districts of the Capitol's power. Every year one boy and one girl from the ages twelve to eighteen are selected to duel to the death with the other tributes from the remaining twelve districts. The battle is televised to both the Capitol and the districts, who are forced to watch their children be slaughtered.

75 years ago tomorrow. Which makes this year's Games the Quarter Quell. Every 25 years the Capitol adds an added twist to the games. The Quarter Quells are usually the most talked about and the bloodiest of the games. I try not to wonder what this year's twist is going to be.

I feel something hard hit the back of my head, effectively breaking me out of my thoughts. I whip my head around with a scowl, only to find Katie with an amused smirk on her face.

"The fuck, Katie?" I bark at my smug looking twin.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past 5 minutes. Fuck's sake, all this fresh air you've been getting has really turned you into an airhead. I repeat, where the fuck are we going and when can I eat?" Katie asks with mock annoyance in her voice. I know she doesn't mind the walk. She always begs to come hunting with me, but we both know that we just can't afford the risk that often. Hunting isn't exactly legal in our district, but we're all so desperate for food that everyone mostly turns a blind eye. But sneaking Katie underneath a small hole in a fence with her loud mouth is not an easy thing to do. If I were to bring her out here often, her howling and barking of curse words would be too obvious for the Peacekeepers to keep ignoring.

I just roll my eyes and turn my head back forward. "We've got three more traps to check, then we can sit down at our spot and eat those two squirrels I shot earlier." I hear Katie make a gagging sound behind me, but she knows not to complain. I pretty much singlehandedly have to keep the whole district fed, and I can't afford to eat any of my bigger game myself.

We checked the last three traps and were awarded with two wild turkeys. The last trap was empty but soiled in blood. This is why I avoid using traps at all costs. Besides how time consuming they are to set up and check, and the fact that they're a complete gamble, they don't kill the animal quickly as I do with my bow. When I'm out hunting on my own, I usually can kill twice the amount of animals as I can catch using traps, and I shoot them through the eye every time so that their death is quick and relatively painless. But when I know Katie is going to be coming on the hunt, I don't have much choice other than to set up traps, because she makes too much noise. I still bring my bow in case Katie happens to shut up for long enough for some game to come along, but usually all I shoot when she's around is a squirrel or two.

We reach our spot and sit down on two rocks overlooking a sea of trees. Katie chatters on happily about all of her suitors to fill the silence, and I start a fire. She gets quiet and looks away while I skin today's catch and cook our squirrels. I know she finds the way we live repulsive and barbaric, but we all know there's no other way. Our district is very poor and dirty, being the coal district, and if it weren't for a few rebels' hunting, many of us would've starved by now. I hand Katie her squirrel and she pretends to look pleased.

We eat in silence, occasionally glancing at one another and making goofy faces at each other. Katie stands up and tosses her finished carcass off the ledge and turns to me with a solemn look on her face. She goes to speak, but chokes back her words. The silence we had shared during our meal hadn't been uncomfortable, but suddenly the quiet was itching at my skin. I've never known Katie to be one to hold back words, so seeing her struggle with what to say was a bit disconcerting. "Why haven't you left yet?" she asks in a barely audible voice, with her eyes trained on the ground. I'm confused by her question, and apparently she can tell by the look on my face, because she breaks out of her nervous resolve after looking up at me. She sighs angrily and her face contorts into one of annoyance.

"Here. Why haven't you left here? Why haven't you run off into the forest and lived like some forest nymph with your fucking squirrel friends? You so know you could; we all do. If anyone could get out of this hell it would be you. Yet here we are, completely ignoring the fact that tomorrow either one of us could be sent off to our death, when you could be miles away from here, moving closer and closer to your fucking freedom, you twat!" Katie shouts at me, gesticulating wildly. The entire forest is quiet after her tirade, and she stands looking at me fiercely for a second before collapsing back onto her rock. She sighs greatly and cups her face in her hands. "I just don't want to watch you die," she mumbles into her palms.

I move to sit down next to her, taking her head and cradling it in my arms. "Hey, don't talk like that. We've made it 6 years without being called, alright? Neither of us has had to take out any more tesserae since I started hunting. We're fine, Kay. C'mon, we're supposed to be celebrating. This is our last reaping, this will be number 7," Katie's tense back loosens under my touch, and I can tell that my words have comforted her a bit. "Now stop being such a sappy cow and ruining my party," I say while continuing to rub comforting circles on her back. Katie chuckles at this and wipes at her moist eyes.

"Sorry about that. You know seeing you skin those squirrels always puts me in a weird mood… Now get off me you fucking lezza." Katie shoves my shoulder and we end up just laughing and shoving each other for a bit. But Katie's words are echoing in my head. I must admit I had considered running away and living in the forest alone many times, but I could never leave everyone in my district. Not just Katie, but the rest of my family, the mayor's daughter, my only semblance of a friend other than Katie, all those people who look at me with such gratefulness in their eyes whenever I bring them dinner to their back door. Every time I think of running away, I see all the people I care about deteriorating into tiny skeletons and looking at me with those same grateful eyes, and I realize just how selfish I'm being. Those are the days I bring home the most game, having to make three or more trips to get it all back into the district. I could never let these people starve.

"C'mon, let's go. It'll be sundown soon, and we're picking berries on the way," I stand abruptly and throw my pack full of game on my back. Katie seems a bit confused in my sudden change in demeanor, but doesn't question it. I hand Katie the lighter pack, which she takes begrudgingly, and we start on our way.

"Why do we have to pick berries? We've got enough meat to keep your customers until you can sneak out here again. I fucking hate picking berries, it's boring as hell and they stain my hands," Katie grumbles grumpily after a few minutes of silent hiking.

"You know how the mayor likes her strawberries. And they wouldn't stain you if you didn't have such ogre hands and squash half of them, Kay," I say teasingly. Katie throws another pebble at my head and I hear a cold _bitch_ come from behind, which I can only assume is accompanied and eye roll. I just chuckle and continue on.

Truth be told, the mayor doesn't much like strawberries. But her daughter is quite fond of them. Katie never would have agreed had I told her that the true reason I wanted strawberries was to give them to the weird, spoiled rich girl, though. The mayor's daughter and I have had a strange sort of friendship since I saw her waiting by the hole in the fence I usually climb under when we were both about 14. I had tried walking past her as though I wasn't intending on going outside the district at all, but she had chased after me.

"_Aren't you going out hunting?" she asks, a bit of confusion in her voice._

"_Hunting's illegal," I reply indignantly._

"_I'm not daft, I see you go out there all the time," she scoffs._

"_Must have the wrong twin," I reply with a shrug of my shoulders and turn to walk away. She grabs my wrist._

"_Shut up, I can tell you two apart. You're Emily, you climb under that fence nearly every day and come back with more meat than you can carry, and then you give it away. Katie would never do that." Her icy blue eyes are looking directly into mine. I'm frozen for a moment._

"_Let go of me," I mutter after a second and yank my hand free of her grasp. I turn sharply on my feet and head the opposite direction._

"_Wait!" I hear her call after me after a few moments. I don't know why I stop, but I do._

_She finally catches up, a little winded. "I just wanted to know if there are still strawberries out there. On the other side of the fence." And she's pleading me with those eyes so I can't lie._

"_Some," I respond, trying to sound uncaring, but my voice cracks. Her entire face cracks into a huge smile, and I made a mental note to pick strawberries the next time I went hunting._

And I did. And have done every time I happened to pass some wild strawberries. And I always stop by her house last to drop them off. Some days she invited me in, most days she dismissed me cooly and shut the door in my face. Some days at school she would allow me to sit next to her at lunch, other days her backpack would be in the seat that was reserved for me. I didn't mind the days she acted cool and aloof; it made the days I was allowed to speak to her even more special.

I smile beside myself at the thought of my strange friend as we approached a strawberry plant.

* * *

When we're back on the other side of the fence I take Katie's pack from her and tell her to go home and tell mom and James that I'll be back shortly. She hugs me and thanks me for taking her with me today. I feign disgust and call her a sappy cow in response. She gives me a half smile and turns away. It's not often Katie is sentimental, so I know something must really be wrong. The reaping is tomorrow, but in past years we've always just ignored its coming. But I know how Katie is feeling, like this year is going to be different. Like something terrible is looming. While I'm making my deliveries, my mind drifts off to how terrible it would be if my twin were chosen. I can't muster up a smile at any of my customers. Katie acts rough and tough on the outside, but she can't look at me skinning a squirrel without passing out. She'd never be able to hurt any living creature. I'm just arriving at the mayor's house when I come to the decision that if Katie's name is called, I will take her place.

I don't even need to knock on the door before the mayor flings it open and is regarding me warmly.

"Emily, love. Strawberries for Naomi, I presume?" The mayor is always very sweet to me. I know she's grateful that I spend time with her daughter, as most everyone avoids the both of them because they think that they're rich snobs. But I've come to realize through Naomi and I's arrangement, and underneath all Naomi's moodiness, that they're both really kind people.

"Yes, Ms. Campbell. Is she in?" I ask with a hint of hopefulness in my voice. We both know that Naomi is almost always in, but the mayor knows to tell me she's out if she's not in the mood to see me.

"Yes, she's up in her room. Why don't you pop in and deliver them to her yourself? And for the last time, Emily, call me Gina." I smiled my first genuine smile since leaving Katie.

"Thanks, Gina; I will." Gina smiles warmly at me and motioned for me to come inside. I follow her in and look around in awe at my new surroundings. This is not the first time I've been in the Campbells' home, not by a long shot, but the immense beauty and elegance of the building never fails to floor me. Most of the buildings in our district are barely standing, the roofs all caving in from the weight of the dust and dirt that litters every inch of District 12; every inch except for the mayor's house, seemingly. I felt hand on my back suddenly and I jump forward, pulling out my bow and aimed at it at my attacker. Thankfully I realize before it was too late that the person on the other end of my bow was just Gina, who was looking at me with an apologetic look. She was honestly the only woman I know who would feel sorry for offending someone who was about to send an arrow through her eye.

"I suppose I should've asked to take your pack for you before just getting all grabby. I'm sorry, love," Gina says as I sigh and lower my bow, trying to calm my nerves.

"No, Gina, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit worked up, is all. I'm sorry I almost shot you. I'll keep my pack, I think," I say sheepishly as I tuck my bow back into its holster. Gina just chuckles lightly and places her hand on the small of my back and led me back towards Naomi's room.

"Not to worry, dear. I was far too busy being impressed by your incredibly fast reaction time to be frightened, anyhow," Gina says as she reaches over my shoulder and knocks on the door I know to be Naomi's. A muffled 'come in' comes from the other side. Gina opens the door and smacks my butt into the room at this. I jump forward in shock at the contact and Gina just giggles. "Have fun girls," she says as she closes the door behind me, throwing a wink at the two of us before it shut in her face.

"God, she's so embarrassing." This was Naomi. I look up towards the voice to find Naomi sitting cross-legged on her bed with her journal in front of her, her face burrowed in her hands in mock-annoyance of her mother. I smile and make my way over to the bed to sit next to her.

"I think she's nice," I say as I took off my pack and set it down on the end of her bed, sitting down alongside it. Naomi looks up from her hands at me. Naomi has the prettiest eyes of anyone I know. They're endlessly blue, and they have the ability to show so much emotion, though they are often beautifully guarded. Naomi half-smiles at me, and we sit in silence looking at one another for a short moment.

"She's a cliché," Naomi mutters, not moving an inch in any direction, still staring at me, though now there's a hint of a smile gracing her lips.

"She's a nice cliché," I say with a smile. Naomi sighs and shakes her head in defeat and flops backwards on her bed. We sit in comfortable silence like that for a while: her staring at the ceiling, me at the foot of her bed. It's times like these that make me remember why I put up with Naomi's offhanded and often rude behavior; when she's not so busy muddying things up by being such a prick, simply existing with her is quite lovely.

I sigh contently and move for my bag. I pull the sheet I had carefully wrapped the strawberries up in out of my pack and unwrap it with delicate fingers. I silently offer Naomi one, who upon seeing it jumps up giddily. I giggle in response to her delight. It amazes me how soft and innocent Naomi can be despite how strong and uncaring she tries, and succeeds for the most part, to make herself seem. Naomi is a girl of contradictions, which can be very annoying at times, but I think it's part of the reason I like her so much.

"Whiskey?" I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a flask being shoved in front of me. It takes me a second to register what exactly it's doing in my face, but once I do I take it from Naomi's long fingers.

"How did you get this?" I ask while examining the nearly full flask. I twist the cap and sniff the contents, cringing when the smell infiltrates my senses. Naomi laughs at my reaction.

"I thought it would help take our minds off things." I'm fully aware that Naomi didn't answer my question, but I also know not to push her for an answer. I don't much care where it came from, anyways. Probably best I don't know. I brace myself and throw the bottle back, letting the harsh liquid sink down the back of my throat. I cringe and hand the bottle over to Naomi, who chuckles at my reaction. She lifts the bottle up in toast. "Happy Hunger Games!" she deadpans before tossing back a shot.


	2. Chapter 2

"Naoms?" I hear a small hum of acknowledgement come from down by my feet. I smile silently to myself and take another sip from the flask, not quite ready to shatter the warm bubble of calm that we've been enveloped in. Naomi and I have been lying on her floor, head-to-toe, wordlessly passing the whiskey back and forth for the past hour or so, occasionally breaking the comfortable silence with bursts of random giggles. But something has been scratching at the back of my mind, almost since we'd settled down on the floor. If I'm being honest, I've wondered for years now, but have never had the courage to ask. Maybe it's the whiskey that has finally steeled me, or maybe it's today's magnificence of just enjoying one another's quiet company that has reestablished my confidence in our friendship, but I finally bring myself to speak. "Do you remember years ago, when you first approached me by the fence?" I can hear the curiosity in Naomi's sound of approval. "Well, you had asked if there were _still_ strawberries out there. Had you been over the fence before?" I ask with a bit of trepidation. I hear Naomi stir, and I fear at first that I might've pushed the limits too far, but before I get the chance to apologize Naomi's hand is shoved in my face. I look up at her quizzically and see she's now sitting up, with her hand outstretched to me.

"Drink," she demands, and I hand her the flask. She takes a greedy gulp, cringing as it goes down. I mimic her upright position and wait patiently as I watch Naomi put words together in her head. "Before the collapse," Naomi and I both stiffen visibly with her words. Four years ago, there was a collapse in the coalmines. An entire crew was caved in, slowly suffocating to death. 30 sons and fathers died that day, mine and Naomi's dads among them. Naomi takes another swig and continues. "Before the collapse, my dad used to take me over the fence. We would hike around, bird watch, pick berries, play. It was kind of our place, you know? He would take me out there and promise me that there were things better than life in the district. One day we walked for hours, and stumbled upon this little wooden cabin. It was a piece of shit place, really; overgrown with vines and collapsing. But he loved it, kept on going on about how 'nature has a way of rectifying itself'." Naomi looks so weak and broken, I can't help but reach my hand out and lay mine on top of hers. She flips her hand over and entwines our fingers, a sad smile playing on her lips. She takes a deep breath and continues.

"And then he died, and I couldn't bring myself to go back. And then I saw you go under that fence one day, and I sort of hated you for it. Hated you for infiltrating our place, but mostly I hated that you had the strength to do what I knew I'd never be able to. But then I saw you dragging back bags full of food every day, and I realize that my dad would've liked that. He would've liked that you were feeding his people. And then I realized that I liked it too. How selfless you were, how kind. And then I started to admire you for being strong enough to go out there, even though I couldn't. I became kind of obsessed with you then, watched every day as you went under that fence empty-handed and came back with more game than any girl your size should be able to carry. One day I just decided on a whim that I had to talk to you. And so I asked for the strawberries," Naomi chuckles lightly to herself at this. "You know, I never was partial to strawberries. My dad loved them, I could've taken them or left them, but it was the first thing that came to mind."

Naomi throws back the flask with her hand that isn't being occupied by my own. She scrunches her face and wags her head back and forth like a dog. "God, that never gets any better, does it?" We both giggle at this, a slightly uncomfortable silence falling over us as we quiet. I find myself blushing slightly at Naomi's words, with her apparent obsession with me. "I love them now, though," Naomi says dreamily. I look up quizzically at her to find her looking up at the ceiling. I can't help but notice the elegant curve of her stretched neck. She glances down at me with a small smile before looking back up and clarifying. "The strawberries. I've grown to love them," she murmurs as she turns to look at me. She's looking at me through heavy lids, and her lips are turned up into the hint of a smile. My breath catches in my throat, and I'm not sure why. I don't even realize that Naomi's inching closer until our lips are touching. I'm shocked still, my lips don't move with or against hers. It's a chaste kiss, her lips were only on mine for a second before she pulls away. "Sorry. I'm a bit drunk," Naomi stammers as she tries to hide her blush. I squeeze her hand to let her know it's okay, and then I'm not sure by who's doing, but our lips are mashed together again, this time much more firmly. And I find myself kissing back. Or maybe Naomi's the one kissing back, I don't know. My mind is whirring with fleeting questions and insecurities, but the feeling of Naomi's soft lips on mine suffocates them all. Naomi's hand moves up to cradle the back of my neck, her other hand still holding mine, and I can't believe I never realized how badly I wanted this kiss until now. We keep our mouths locked until my lungs feel like they're going to burst, and then I slowly pull back for air and lean our foreheads together. It takes me a second to notice that Naomi's shaking.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask quietly, not willing to shatter the cold, quiet air surrounding us. Naomi nods her head against mine.

"Yeah, fine," she murmurs, and I'm not convinced. I'm about to prod her when she goes to speak again. "M-maybe you should go now," she almost whispers as she drops her hand from my neck. I didn't even register that I had been moving until I'm leaned up against a tree about half way to my house.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm woken up suddenly and all too quickly. The sun is too bright, and my head too small. I groan as I bring my hand up to caress my throbbing forehead, sending squeaks through my little room as I shift on my mattress. "Bloody hell…" I grumble to myself as I swing my legs off my bed, the thud of my feet hitting the floor making me wince. I take a moment trying to recall last night's events; am surprised to find that I can piece together most everything with little effort. I'm also surprised that I feel a sense of relief and understanding in place of what I expected would be anger and hurt towards Naomi's behavior. District 12 is not a safe place to be emotionally invested in another person. I've got Katie to worry about, not to mention trying to singlehandedly keep the district fed; I don't need to be worried by such trivial and superficial things as a confusing girl with soft lips, and I'm sure Naomi is in the same boat. I feel a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth, and I unconsciously reach my hand up and brush my lips. I suppose as far as first kisses go, however, I could've done much worse than the beautiful, blue-eyed blonde.

There's a soft knock on my door, effectively breaking me out of my thoughts surrounding plump pink lips. "Come in," I call out to the person on the other side, who I know to be Katie, as she's the only person I know other than Gina who would bother to have manners in a society where we've all nearly reverted back to our animal-like instincts to survive. I smile sadly at the thought of the two as Katie peeks her head around the door.

"You up, then?" Katie says softly as she shuffles into the room carrying a cup of tea, which she sets down on the chest we use as a table. I look at her thankfully and pat the bed beside me, motioning for her to sit down,

"Yeah, only for a few minutes. You don't have to knock, you know. We share the room," I joke as I bump her shoulder. She shoves me back lightly, I'm sure trying to be gentle as she obviously knows my current state, although I'm not sure how.

"Bitch. Figures, I try doing something nice and all you do is sass in return," I chuckle and rest my head on her shoulder, my silent way of apologizing. She strokes my hair and sighs. "I just didn't want to come barging in when you're quite obviously very sensitive this morning," she says as I lift my head and make a grab for the tea, turning and giving her a questioning look as I reach for it. "You came in trashing about and reeking of whiskey, Em. You're not nearly as stealthy as you think you are when you're drunk. Scared the crap out of me, you did. I shot up in bed, thinking we were getting robbed, until I realized we had nothing to steal," she teases lightly. I chuckle and take a sip of my tea, cringing as the bitter liquid slides down my throat.

"Ugh, what is this?" I mutter as I set the offending liquid back down on the chest and back away from it. Katie looks at me sympathetically as she reaches for the drink and hands it back to me.

"Feverfew; for the headache. Now drink it. I know it tastes like shite, but we can't have you looking like a hungover bum for the reaping." My body tenses as she rubs my back. I had completely forgotten. I look over at Katie and actually see her for the first time this morning. Her brown hair is tied up in a neat bun, and she's wearing one of mum's nice dresses. She looks beautiful. I meet her eyes and see the dark circles surrounding them, clearly showing the lack of sleep she got last night. I realize I probably hadn't woken her up; she had more than likely been lying in bed, wide-awake when I came in, shitting bricks about the reaping. I look at the floor, no longer able to meet her sad eyes.

"Fuck," I croak out after a few seconds of silence between us, eyes still trained on the ground. I hear rather than feel Katie shift on the bed, and soon her head is rested on my shoulder and her arms are wrapped around my waist.

"I know," she responds.

* * *

Hand in hand, we're herded into a small, roped off section in front of the Justice Building like sheep. I try to focus on nothing but the feeling of Katie's hand in mine, but I find myself distracted by things like the dust being kicked up by everyone's polished shoes that only come out once a year, or the sound of everyone's short, worried breath joining together, creating a strange eerie noise that makes my heart rate quicken.

We all come to a standstill, Katie on my right, waiting for the ceremonies to start. I scan the crowd out of lack of anything better to do. My eyes roam over a few worried faces until I'm met with a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at me. She's four or five rows behind me and a ways to the left. She smiles sadly at me, shyly. I'm the first to look away. I try not to wonder how she feels about what happened last night, if she even fully remembers. I feel Katie's grip tighten on my hand, reminding me that there are bigger issues at hand to be focusing on. I meet her eye, and she's looking back at me with worried eyes. It's only then that I notice the voice booming over the speakers.

"Welcome! Welcome! Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor! Now, before we begin, we have a very special film brought to you all the way from the Capitol!" I look over a sea of heads towards the podium, where I find the source of the squeaky voice. A lanky woman with pale pink hair sitting atop her head in the most ridiculous of fashions, wearing a dress that is equally outrageous as her hairstyle. I let a small smirk escape me. Effie Trinket is the one source of comedic relief we're given on this bleak day every year. Each district is assigned an escort, a Capitol citizen who visits their district each year for the reaping to host the ceremonies. Our escort just happens to be the almost annoyingly endearing Effie. With her sunny disposition and unfaltering enthusiasm, it's hard to hate her. That doesn't mean we can't mock her hoity-toity accent year round, however.

"Oh, I just love that!" Effie enthuses into the microphone as the film ends, and I realize that once again I managed to daydream during the duration of it. I haven't bothered watching the film since my second reaping, as it hasn't changed since as long as I can remember. It's always the same, reminding us of the Capitol's kindness and generosity for forgiving the districts for our treason all those years ago. Instead, I usually observe the cameramen or the peacekeepers and try to find some sort of emotion on their faces. Other years I've watched Gina, who is seated on stage with District 12's lone victor, Kieran MacFoeinaiugh. Her presence has always helped to comfort me, even before I got to know her. And these past few years she hasn't failed to send me a reassuring smile if she caught my stare. I look over in her direction and for the first time am not put at ease by her gentle face, as it is wrinkled in worry. I follow her gaze back to Effie, who is talking into the microphone again.

"As you all know, this year's games are extra-special! Each Quarter Quell has specific instructions, all of which I have right here, in this box," Effie holds up a small wooden box and taps it twice with her index finger dramatically to emphasize her last two words. "Now! Let's read this year's, shall we? Oh, isn't this so exciting?" she fumbles around with the box excitedly until it's opened, and pulls out a small, rectangular piece of paper with a flourish. She clears her throat dramatically and begins to read.

"'In the 75th annual Hunger Games, four tributes, two boys and two girls, shall be chosen from each district to remind the rebels that for every innocent Capitol citizen killed, two rebels died.' Oh! That's a good one!" Effie enthuses and begins clapping. I feel my heart sink in my chest. I look over at Katie, who has lost all color from her face. I feel eyes digging into the back of my head, but I don't seek them out, but turn back to the stage instead. "Well, shall we get started, then? As usual, ladies first!" Effie announces, practically skipping to the glass jar containing our fates. She juts her hand into the bowl and pulls out one single folded piece of paper. I can feel sweat growing in mine and Katie's entwined hands, but I'm not sure which one of us, if not both, is responsible for it.

"Well, here we go," Effie says as she unfolds the paper. I feel Katie's hand painfully squeeze mine.

"Emily Fitch," Effie carefully reads out. I heave a sigh of relief instinctually, until my mind actually catches up to what has just been said. I feel myself starting to get lightheaded, but Katie's hand gripping mine impossibly tighter keeps me conscious. I whip my head in her direction, and I'm met with her eyes filling with unshed tears. I yank her hand towards me, crashing her body into mine, and I hug her as hard as I possibly can. I'm vaguely aware of myself muttering 'it's okay, Kay' over and over again, but I'm fairly certain I've lost my sense of hearing.

I feel eyes painfully staring at the back of my head again, and this time I unconsciously choose to seek them out. I release Katie and look over my shoulder, and my eyes immediately find Naomi's. Her mouth is hanging wide open, and those blue eyes that have the capacity of showing so much emotion are raw with shock. I watch her blink, and when her eyes open again, it's like I'm staring into cement. I see her mouth moving, but my ears still feel like they're stuffed with cotton. She breaks our eye contact by looking back towards the stage, and then the sound of people breathing hits my ears again and I flinch at the immense volume of it.

"Excuse me?" I hear Effie question over the loud speakers, but I can't look away from Naomi.

"I volunteer," Naomi says evenly, repeating her previous words again, I'm assuming. She starts to make her way towards the aisle that separates the girls from the boys. "I volunteer as tribute." I hear Katie let out a sob of relief beside me, but I can't take my eyes off the blonde.

"Oh, wonderful! Come on up then, darling! Come on," the speakers boom again and Naomi starts walking lifelessly towards the stage. I want to call out to her, to get her to stop or at least look at me, but my insides have all turned to lead.

I watch her climb the steps and the thought occurs to me that Gina is standing up there as well. I look over at her and all emotion comes flooding back to me. She looks absolutely broken, but there's a sort of determination there as well. Like she's just gotten the crap beaten out of her but she's still trying to throw a punch back.

"District 12's first volunteer, how exciting! Tell us your name, sweetheart," I hear Effie ask, far too enthusiastically given the current conditions. I leave the heartbreaking sight of Gina Campbell to watch her daughter being pushed up to the microphone.

"Naomi Campbell," she speaks smoothly, void of any emotion. I feel tears welling up in my eyes. Effie turns to look quizzically at Gina, who only nods and approaches the two. She engulfs Naomi in an earth-shattering hug. I can see her whispering words into her ear, but I can't read her lips from here. Effie has the decency to look a little sad.

"What a brave girl you have, mayor." Effie places her hand on Gina's shoulders, whose now loosened her grip on Naomi. A peacekeeper comes over and leads Gina back to her seat. Effie clears her throat and turns back to the crowd. "Well, how about a round of applause for our first volunteer?" Effie starts smacking her hands together, and a few sad claps are given back to her from the crowd. I just stare at Naomi, willing her to look my way. Finally she lifts her head and our eyes meet again. She forces a sad smile on her face, and only then does the magnitude of what she's just done hit me. And I can't even begin to comprehend why. She must see the confusion on my face, because her smile becomes more honest, though still sad, and she just shrugs.

"Now, let's move on, shall we?" Effie reappears back at the microphone with another name. I feel Katie's hand find mine again and I give a comforting squeeze. I can't muster the energy to be worried; besides, my name's already been called.

"Katie Fitch!" I hear the crowd gasp and I do along with it.

"Fuck," I hear Katie breathe out so I turn to look at her. She meets my eye, and I see the absolute terror lying just below the surface and I remember the promise I made myself. I steel myself for what I'm about to do, and Katie must see the decision I've just made on my face because her face turns hard. "Don't you fucking dare."

I squeeze her hand one last time then yank it free. I start pushing and shoving my way towards the aisle. "I volunteer as tribute," I shout, as soon as I break through the crowd. Before I realize what's happened I'm on the ground with a huge weight on top of me.

"You stupid fucking cow!" Katie is kicking and screaming as peacekeepers pull her off of me.

"Katie, go find mom," I sob as I lay on the ground.

"What the fuck, Ems? What the actual fuck!" She shouts back before a peacekeeper covers her mouth forcefully. I see her go limp as fear invades her eyes again.

"Hey, don't fucking touch her!" I shout as I'm being dragged to my feet and pulled towards the stage. I feel the officer jab me in the ribs and I yelp in pain. He tosses me on the steps and stands looming over me. I look past him in search of Katie, but she's nowhere in sight.

"Come on, darling. Come here," I hear Effie's voice as I feel a hand gently lifting me by my elbow. I look up and see her gentle face looking back at me. "It's alright, come on." I let myself be help up and follow her up the steps towards the microphone.

"Well, that was interesting," Effie chuckles into the microphone but is met with nothing but absolute silence. "Tell us your name then, dear," she prompts.

"Emily Fitch," I breathe out.

"Oh, what a juicy turn of events this is! Go on, go stand by your fellow tribute and I'll go get started with the boys." I had completely forgotten about Naomi. I turn around and make my way towards her. She's wearing the same face as she was when they first called my name, but she won't meet my eye this time.

I take my place next to her and I every thought I should have been having but got shoved into the back on my brain came flying to the forefront. They were impossible to ignore. Naomi volunteered in my place, and now we were going into the arena together. One or both of us would die. I hated her for putting me in this position. But if she hadn't, it would have been me and Katie in there together. I started to feel bile crawling up my throat as these thoughts suffocated me, but I swallowed it down. I felt warm fingers slide through mine, and I looked down at it. I followed my gaze up her arm and finally to her face, where I was met with the most bittersweet look in history. Her rosy lips curved up into a reassuring closed-lipped smile, and her eyes were brimming with emotion. It was the most beautiful I had ever seen her. I felt tears slowly rolling down my face, but I was smiling back at her. I chuckled at the absurdity of it all and wiped at my face. She chuckled too, and turned her attention back to our escort, who was now gripping a short boy with sandy hair that I didn't recognize.

"And that would be our fourth and final tribute! Go on and shake hands everyone. Now, a final round of applause for our tributes!" Effie exclaims as she starts clapping wildly again. I guess the boys' reaping must not of been nearly as dramatic as mine and Naomi's, as I managed to not catch any of it. I feel my hand that's still wrapped around Naomi's being lifted and I look up. I give her a questioning look, one she matches with another sad smile. She starts shaking my hand, and I laugh, which makes her eyes brighten for a second. The younger boy approaches us and holds out his hand, which I take. He can't be more than 13. His fingers are thin and weak, and they fit in my calloused hands awkwardly. I can't help but feel like I'm shaking hands with a corpse. _He won't survive_, I think sadly.

The boy releases my hand, and not a moment too soon. And then another boy steps in front of me with an outstretched hand. I recognize the owner of this one, he'd been in my class. Freddie McClair, one of the boys my sister used to gush over. We exchange sorry looks as I grasp his hand. His grip is strong, and his palms rough. And with his kind hazel eyes, dark hair and olive skin, he's sure to be a crowd favorite. He'll be stiff competition.

* * *

We were directed into the Justice building and put in separate rooms, leaving us to our thoughts. I pushed all worries concerning the games out of my head, there'd be plenty a sleepless night to worry about that. Instead I fussed over Katie, where they'd taken her, if she was all right, if I'd ever get to see her again. I was worrying myself into a fit when the door flew open and a body crashed into me.

"Fucking idiot! What the hell were you thinking?" Katie spits into my ear as she hugs the living shit out of me. "Ems, why the hell did you do that, you stupid mong?" I feel her body heave against me as sobs wrack her body, and I wrap my arms around her, relieved to see that she's alright.

She pushes me back suddenly and grips my shoulders, forcing me to look at her drenched face, ridden with determination. "You better fucking win, alright? You can. You can hunt." I pull her back into my embrace.

"Yeah, Kay. Maybe I can," I mumble into her hair. She pats my back and pulls back again.

"Damn right you can. You're a Fitch." She smiles as best she can, and I give her one in return.

"My girls!" Suddenly I'm enveloped in another hug with my sister, this time with my mom's long arms surrounding the both of us. I hadn't even been aware of her presence in the room, which is strange considering she's usually a force to be reckoned with.

"Hi, mum," I sniffle and cuddle into her body. I can't remember the last time I've felt my mother's arms around me, and for some reason her embrace is making me cry like a little kid.

"Shhhh, it's okay, love. You'll be fine," she whispers as she pets my head. "I guess it's a good thing your father taught you how to use that bow after all." I let out a half chuckle, half sob.

"Yeah, guess so." We jump apart as the door burst open again.

"Time's up," a gruff voice barks at us. We all hug one last time.

"You can hunt too, Kay. You know how," I whisper as I cling to them desperately.

"I know, we'll be fine. So will you." Katie ends our group hug and kisses my forehead.

"Come on," the peacekeeper orders again. Katie and my mom follow him out.

"Kick some ass, Emsy." Katie throws over her shoulder, and then the door is slammed shut.

Just as soon as it's closed, there's a soft knock on the door.

"Er, come in," I call out, voice ridden with confusion. The door creaks open and Gina's head pops around the corner before she opens it entirely, enters, and closes it softly behind her.

"Hello, love. How are you doing?" She asks as she brings me into a soft hug, unlike any of the other suffocating ones I've received today. I chuckle disbelievingly at the woman's unfaltering gentleness, even when everything is falling apart around her.

"I've definitely been better. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed, at the moment. Trying to wrap my head around everything," I respond as she releases me. She gives me a comforting look and I feel the most at ease as I've felt since everything went to shit.

"I know how you feel," she smiles sadly. And then I remember that her own daughter volunteered in my place and any comfort I felt is chased out by extreme guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Gina," I splutter as tears start streaming down my face again. Gina just sits me down in the lone chair in the room and kneels down at my feet.

"Don't you dare be sorry, Emily. This is by no means your fault. What Naomi did was by her own volition. She's a smart girl, stubborn as a cow too, and she did what she thought was right. All I ask is that if my daughter thought you were worth risking her life for, don't throw yours away." She stands and kisses my cheek. "Be strong, Emily. And keep an eye on my daughter," she smiles sadly and turns towards the door. She regards me one last time as she's closing the door.

"Go get 'em, tiger." She winks and shuts the door softly. I hold back my tears and repeat Gina's words in my head. _Be strong._

**I just couldn't stand the thought of getting rid of Effie. :3 Leave a review, if you could. Feedback is welcomed. C:**


End file.
